Ever notice the ads that appear above everything else when you search for “house cleaning near me” or “plumber near me,” with a photo, rating, and green verification badge? Those are Local Services Ads (LSA).
For home service businesses, they can be one of the most effective channels, but your paperwork needs to be up to date.
How LSA works
- You pay per lead, not per click. A lead is a call, message, or booking request related to your service.
- You can dispute invalid leads, such as spam calls, inquiries from outside your service area, or requests for services you don’t offer.
- Ranking isn’t just about money. Proximity, review count and rating, business hours, and especially whether you answer all matter. Letting calls go unanswered hurts your ranking.
The Google Verified badge
Google brought its previous badges (such as Google Guaranteed and Google Screened) together under Google Verified. To earn it, your business goes through checks that vary by category and state and may include:
- Identity verification for the owner;
- Background checks for the owner and, in some categories, anyone who enters a customer’s home;
- A professional license, when the state or city requires one for that service;
- General liability insurance;
- Business registration and a verified Google Business Profile with matching information.
The issue that most often holds up Brazilian-owned businesses: inconsistent names. The name on your LLC paperwork, insurance, license, and Google profile needs to match. If you use a trade name (DBA), it needs to be registered.
Is it worth it for my business?
LSA tends to work well for:
- House cleaning, handyman services, painting, landscaping, remodeling, moving, and other home services;
- Businesses that answer the phone quickly (or have a properly configured automated response);
- Businesses that already have Google reviews, or a plan to get them.
It works less well when:
- Nobody answers calls during business hours;
- The service area is too large for the business to cover;
- The paperwork is incomplete. In that case, it’s best to get it in order before applying.
LSA doesn’t replace the rest
LSA relies on the same basics as Google Maps: reviews, consistent profile information, and a quick response. That’s why, for our clients, it works alongside local SEO, automated review requests, and automated follow-up for missed calls.
Your next step
Want to know whether your business is ready for Google Verified, or what’s still missing? We review your paperwork, Google profile, and service area with you. The conversation can be in Portuguese or English.
